


Flower for a Drink

by VampirePaladin



Category: Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, F/F, Guilt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:35:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26567422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VampirePaladin/pseuds/VampirePaladin
Summary: When consumed by guilt over killing a Shinra soldier, a flower girl overs Tifa a trade: a flower for a drink.
Relationships: Aerith Gainsborough/Tifa Lockhart
Comments: 3
Kudos: 7
Collections: Darkest Night 2020





	Flower for a Drink

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ThatScottishShipper](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatScottishShipper/gifts).



Tifa was still cleaning Seventh Heaven long after it closed. Barret and the others had all gone home. The slums outside her door were quiet. Even the monsters had gone back to their dens for the night. She could imagine them cuddling with their mates and children before laying their heads down to go to sleep.

She dreaded going home. 

The last attack kept playing in her head, over and over again. No, it wasn’t the whole attack that was repeating, it was just a few seconds, it probably wasn’t even a minute even though she remembered it as an eternity.

She’d punched a Shinra soldier, not the elite kind, but the regular rank and file. The kind who were recruited from the slums, desperate for the benefits and enlistment would provide and a ticket to a life that wasn’t a constant struggle. Tifa thought she had held back enough. She hadn’t. Tifa remembered the way his body had crumpled under her fist. In a moment of panic she’d tried to use a potion on them to stabilize their wounds, but potions didn’t do anything to a corpse.

They had dropped his wallet and Tifa had picked it up, opening it to reveal a photo of a smiling family. She felt guilt roll through her body. Which parent had she killed? It was impossible to tell with the uniform on.

Barret had called out to her then, reminding her of the mission, that Shinra were not humans, they were just leeches. He reminded her that they didn’t deserve to be treated as humans.

But now, in the bar, all Tifa could think about was how a little boy, the same age as Marlene, was never going to see one of their parents again. She kept cleaning, trying to focus on that.

Tifa looked at the hardwood tables and kept seeing deep, rich blood dripping from them. She scrubbed harder. No amount of scrubbing could clean away the blood that her mind kept conjuring. 

There was a knock at the door.

“Hello,” called out a sweet voice as a woman in a light pink dress and red jacket stepped in. She carried with her the scent of flowers.

“I’m sorry, we’re closed,” Tifa apologized.

“Hmm, would a trade be alright then?” The woman produced a flower from her basket, a white lily. “A flower for one drink?”

Tifa eyed up the rare luxury. A flower would cost well more than one of her drinks. “Alright,” she agreed with a nod of her head. She took the flower and brought it to her nose to smell it.

The scent overwhelmed her, it made her feel light-headed and everything was hazy around her.

“Do you want to talk about what’s wrong?” the flower girl asked.

Tifa felt lightheaded and couldn’t concentrate about what she should and shouldn’t be saying to people. “I killed a man or a woman. I don’t know which. They had a family. Now their son is going to grow up without one of their parents and I can’t stop thinking about it.”

“That’s dreadful.”

“I just want to forget about it,” Tifa started to sob.

The flower girl set her basket aside and took Tifa in her arms, her gentle touch guided Tifa’s eyes to look into her own green ones, as deep as the ocean. “Shh, it’s okay. I can make the pain all go away.”

“You can?” Tifa asked.

The woman nodded. She moved her head in closer and Tifa thought that she was going to kiss her on the neck. Then she felt pain as sharp fangs dug into her skin.

Between the flower’s pollen and Tifa’s own guilt, she didn’t fight it.

She held onto the flower girl as her blood was drained away, surrendering into death.

The flower girl kept drinking until her body was cold. She pulled away, licking the blood from her lips. Someone as pretty as Tifa shouldn’t have to live with the pain of guilt. She lowered Tifa onto one of the very clean tables and made her comfortable.

There was plenty of time until dawn, and the plate did an excellent job of blocking out sunlight anyways. 

The flower girl made herself comfortable until Tifa opened her eyes, once warm brown were now blood red.

“My name is Aerith. You have your flower and I had my drink. You can come with me or you can stay here,” Aerith said as she held out her hand.

“Tifa,” she said as she took Aerith’s outstretched hand.


End file.
